Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/26
Jul. 27th, 2010 03:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. memories
Fumie and Izumi, her sister, were washing dishes in the kitchen. Toyokawa, the Shonen Land publisher, and Kitamura, his assistant, stepped into the kitchen. Toyokawa said, "Fumie, excuse me, but I brought some dorayaki." He unwrapped a box and set it on the table. Fumie turned and smiled at them. Then Izumi turned, and gave a bright smile. She introduced herself. Kitamura couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.
Toyokawa said, "We're going to try to put Devil Boy on television." Fumie said, "Devil Boy? What about Kitaro?" Toyokawa shook his head. "The sponsors don't think school kids can identify with a boy who is a ghost." Fumie blinked and said, "But Devil Boy is really scary." Toyokawa nodded. "Yes, but I think school kids can identify with him more easily. He's a newspaper delivery boy, just like them."
Toyokawa looked at Fumie. "I was wondering... when I asked Mizuki sensei, he seemed uncertain about using Devil Boy. That's very unusual for him." Fumie nodded. "I don't know, really..."
Izumi set bowls of kori, shaved ice, on the table in front of them. Then she brought over a large bottle of syrup with a dipper. "Please, help yourself." Toyokawa happily dipped some of the red syrup over his shaved ice. Then he looked at Kitamura, who was watching Izumi. "Hey, Kitamura? Aren't you going to put some syrup on your ice?" Kitamura shook himself, and said, "Oh, of course."
Later, Shigeru was in the workroom alone looking at the Devil Boy books. He frowned, and set one down. "No, that wouldn't be good." Fumie brought a serving platter with tea and a dorayaki on a plate. The brown pancakes were firm, with a fat bulge in the middle hiding the sweet bean paste filling. She set the platter down, and Shigeru quickly came over. He picked up a dorayaki and took a big bite. He chewed, swallowed, and said, "That's really good. These must be from Toyokawa." Fumie laughed.
Then she picked up one of the Devil Boy books. "Are you going to redo these?" Shigeru shook his head. "Well, that's work. You shouldn't worry about that." She set the book down, and said, "Toyokawa just mentioned that you didn't seem to want to work on these? Is there something hard about them?"
Shigeru said, "Well... here..." He flipped through one of the books, and opened it. "Here, this part? I did this when the ghost of poverty was really beating us. It was really hard to do." Fumie nodded. "I remember. The electricity was off, and we thought we were going to lose the house." Shigeru closed the book. "I wrote these during our worst time. It's hard for me to redo them." He stared at the book.
Fumie reached over and said, "Do you remember when I asked you about Devil Boy being over?" She flipped through the book, then opened it and pointed to a panel. "You told me to read this. Whenever trouble comes again, Devil Boy will return to fight it." She smiled. "I thought Devil Boy was kind of like you."
Shigeru slipped the book out of her hands. "Well, I should get back to work." Fumie turned and started to leave. Shigeru said, "Maybe you could bring another dorayaki?" Fumie looked back at him and smiled.
Alone in the workroom, Shigeru looked at the book and flipped through it. "Devil Boy comes back... wait a minute, like him, but not like him..."
Fumie was setting a dorayaki on a plate in the kitchen when she heard a sound in the entryway. She went out, and found Shigeru putting on his shoes. "Are you going out? Where you going so late?" Shigeru said, "Over to Inui's house." Then he paused. "Oh. Could you put some of those dorayaki in a bag? I'll take them over there."
In Inui's house, Sanae, Inui's wife, put the dorayaki on the table between the two men. Inui said, "How is Fumie?" Shigeru said, "Just fine." Inui said, "Well, congratulations on the baby!" Sanae pinched his leg, and he frowned at her. "Actually, I'm glad you came. I was going to come talk to you tomorrow." Shigeru said, "Oh? About what?" Inui said, "Well, we can talk about it later. Why did you come tonight?"
Shigeru got out the Devil Boy book and set it on the table. "Shonen Land is going to try to put Devil Boy on TV." Inui whistled. "On TV? That's great." Shigeru shrugged. "Yes, but I wanted to talk to you. We put these out together. And... now they want to redo them, or maybe have a new one. What do you think?" Inui looked at his legs for a moment, then stared at Shigeru. "Seriously? I think you should do it. Having your work in Shonen Land, or on TV, is just going to help it." He smiled.
Shigeru said, "Okay, but should I redo the old story, or should I tell a new Devil Boy story?" Inui grinned. "A new Devil Boy?" Shigeru nodded. "Oh, he'll be poor but... another boy." Inui shook his head. "Now I really want to read it. Yes, a new one is best."
Outside, Shigeru took his bicycle off its stand and got ready to go. Then he looked back. "I wonder what he wanted to ask?" Then he shook his head. "Oh, well, I'll be back."
Inside the house, Sanae looked at Inui and said, "You didn't ask?" Inui shook his head. "How could I ask? He's got a new Devil Boy comic to draw, maybe a television show, he's too busy." Sanae said, "You were going to ask him to draw a comic for us, to keep our company from bankruptcy. You even talked about a new Devil Boy comic." Inui said, "Well, but it's better for him if Shonen Land publishes it. They've got hundreds of times our readers." Then he smiled. "Besides, we'll be able to see Devil Boy on TV." Sanae shook her head. "But that doesn't make any money for us."
Inui picked up a dorayaki and took a bite out of it. "Well, I was thinking of what's best for the manga..." He set a remaining dorayaki on a plate beside himself. "Here, these are good." Sanae scooted across the floor and picked up the dorayaki. "I knew I married a manga fool." She bit into the dorayaki. Then she said, "But I do think Mizuki is getting farther away from us."
Back in his workroom, Shigeru drew sketches of a new boy's face. Then he darkened the lines on one, and held it up. "Yes. There, that's the new Devil Boy."
<to be continued>
Fumie and Izumi, her sister, were washing dishes in the kitchen. Toyokawa, the Shonen Land publisher, and Kitamura, his assistant, stepped into the kitchen. Toyokawa said, "Fumie, excuse me, but I brought some dorayaki." He unwrapped a box and set it on the table. Fumie turned and smiled at them. Then Izumi turned, and gave a bright smile. She introduced herself. Kitamura couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.
Toyokawa said, "We're going to try to put Devil Boy on television." Fumie said, "Devil Boy? What about Kitaro?" Toyokawa shook his head. "The sponsors don't think school kids can identify with a boy who is a ghost." Fumie blinked and said, "But Devil Boy is really scary." Toyokawa nodded. "Yes, but I think school kids can identify with him more easily. He's a newspaper delivery boy, just like them."
Toyokawa looked at Fumie. "I was wondering... when I asked Mizuki sensei, he seemed uncertain about using Devil Boy. That's very unusual for him." Fumie nodded. "I don't know, really..."
Izumi set bowls of kori, shaved ice, on the table in front of them. Then she brought over a large bottle of syrup with a dipper. "Please, help yourself." Toyokawa happily dipped some of the red syrup over his shaved ice. Then he looked at Kitamura, who was watching Izumi. "Hey, Kitamura? Aren't you going to put some syrup on your ice?" Kitamura shook himself, and said, "Oh, of course."
Later, Shigeru was in the workroom alone looking at the Devil Boy books. He frowned, and set one down. "No, that wouldn't be good." Fumie brought a serving platter with tea and a dorayaki on a plate. The brown pancakes were firm, with a fat bulge in the middle hiding the sweet bean paste filling. She set the platter down, and Shigeru quickly came over. He picked up a dorayaki and took a big bite. He chewed, swallowed, and said, "That's really good. These must be from Toyokawa." Fumie laughed.
Then she picked up one of the Devil Boy books. "Are you going to redo these?" Shigeru shook his head. "Well, that's work. You shouldn't worry about that." She set the book down, and said, "Toyokawa just mentioned that you didn't seem to want to work on these? Is there something hard about them?"
Shigeru said, "Well... here..." He flipped through one of the books, and opened it. "Here, this part? I did this when the ghost of poverty was really beating us. It was really hard to do." Fumie nodded. "I remember. The electricity was off, and we thought we were going to lose the house." Shigeru closed the book. "I wrote these during our worst time. It's hard for me to redo them." He stared at the book.
Fumie reached over and said, "Do you remember when I asked you about Devil Boy being over?" She flipped through the book, then opened it and pointed to a panel. "You told me to read this. Whenever trouble comes again, Devil Boy will return to fight it." She smiled. "I thought Devil Boy was kind of like you."
Shigeru slipped the book out of her hands. "Well, I should get back to work." Fumie turned and started to leave. Shigeru said, "Maybe you could bring another dorayaki?" Fumie looked back at him and smiled.
Alone in the workroom, Shigeru looked at the book and flipped through it. "Devil Boy comes back... wait a minute, like him, but not like him..."
Fumie was setting a dorayaki on a plate in the kitchen when she heard a sound in the entryway. She went out, and found Shigeru putting on his shoes. "Are you going out? Where you going so late?" Shigeru said, "Over to Inui's house." Then he paused. "Oh. Could you put some of those dorayaki in a bag? I'll take them over there."
In Inui's house, Sanae, Inui's wife, put the dorayaki on the table between the two men. Inui said, "How is Fumie?" Shigeru said, "Just fine." Inui said, "Well, congratulations on the baby!" Sanae pinched his leg, and he frowned at her. "Actually, I'm glad you came. I was going to come talk to you tomorrow." Shigeru said, "Oh? About what?" Inui said, "Well, we can talk about it later. Why did you come tonight?"
Shigeru got out the Devil Boy book and set it on the table. "Shonen Land is going to try to put Devil Boy on TV." Inui whistled. "On TV? That's great." Shigeru shrugged. "Yes, but I wanted to talk to you. We put these out together. And... now they want to redo them, or maybe have a new one. What do you think?" Inui looked at his legs for a moment, then stared at Shigeru. "Seriously? I think you should do it. Having your work in Shonen Land, or on TV, is just going to help it." He smiled.
Shigeru said, "Okay, but should I redo the old story, or should I tell a new Devil Boy story?" Inui grinned. "A new Devil Boy?" Shigeru nodded. "Oh, he'll be poor but... another boy." Inui shook his head. "Now I really want to read it. Yes, a new one is best."
Outside, Shigeru took his bicycle off its stand and got ready to go. Then he looked back. "I wonder what he wanted to ask?" Then he shook his head. "Oh, well, I'll be back."
Inside the house, Sanae looked at Inui and said, "You didn't ask?" Inui shook his head. "How could I ask? He's got a new Devil Boy comic to draw, maybe a television show, he's too busy." Sanae said, "You were going to ask him to draw a comic for us, to keep our company from bankruptcy. You even talked about a new Devil Boy comic." Inui said, "Well, but it's better for him if Shonen Land publishes it. They've got hundreds of times our readers." Then he smiled. "Besides, we'll be able to see Devil Boy on TV." Sanae shook her head. "But that doesn't make any money for us."
Inui picked up a dorayaki and took a bite out of it. "Well, I was thinking of what's best for the manga..." He set a remaining dorayaki on a plate beside himself. "Here, these are good." Sanae scooted across the floor and picked up the dorayaki. "I knew I married a manga fool." She bit into the dorayaki. Then she said, "But I do think Mizuki is getting farther away from us."
Back in his workroom, Shigeru drew sketches of a new boy's face. Then he darkened the lines on one, and held it up. "Yes. There, that's the new Devil Boy."
<to be continued>
Tags:
